Time to get serious about science

[tschu]

In response to Junior,

 

My point was that academic science is wildly inefficient and does not line up with my interests. I am not good with politics, with fighting for space and prestige amongst other faculty (I was exposed to plenty of petty bickering which I won't bore you with), with spending months writing grand proposals, and other things which are totally unrelated (directly) to actual research. I enjoyed research. I loved working in the lab, working on interesting projects and running experiments. But sadly, an academic researcher is more of a lab manager and secretary/treasurer and teacher than a researcher. The researcher I worked for was absolutely brilliant but she spent so little of her time doing what she was good at that it really discouraged me.

[strigori]

If you ever had a question why we need better science education, I give you Mitt Romney...

 

“I appreciate the fact that she is on the ground, safe and sound. And I don’t think she knows just how worried some of us were,” Romney told the paper. “When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly."

Romney said the biggest problem in a distressed aircraft is that "the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous."

 

 

 

 

http://www.huffingto..._n_1910930.html

[knapplc]

He sounds like a Kardashian.

[krill]

Maybe Romney should rent out a de Havilland Comet for his campaign if he doesn't feel windows in a pressurized aircraft are that big of a deal

[carlfense]

He sounds like a Kardashian.

boom.

[zoogs]

What makes me really want to just hurl is whenever I hear one of these candidates start talking about evolution or global warming (among other topics) as either 1) a philosophical debate, 2) a matter of opinion, and/or 3) like they have any clue.

 

Usually a combination of the above. Highly relevant: http://xkcd.com/154/

 

[strigori]

Here is another guy who is part of the problem. A big part.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/congressman-calls-evolution-lie-pit-hell-175514039.html

 

"God's word is true," Broun said, according to a video posted on the church's website. "I've come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior."

 

By itself, he's just another zealot wacko But here is the disturbing part.

 

 

He sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

[bennychico11]

Here is another guy who is part of the problem. A big part.

 

http://news.yahoo.co...-175514039.html

 

"God's word is true," Broun said, according to a video posted on the church's website. "I've come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from understanding that they need a savior."

 

By itself, he's just another zealot wacko But here is the disturbing part.

 

 

He sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

 

wow...wow

 

and to continue the rest of the video

 

"And what I've come to learn is that it's (the Bible) the manufacturer's handbook, is what I call it. It teaches us how to run our lives individually, how to run our families, how to run our churches. But it teaches us how to run all of public policy and everything in society. And that's the reason as your congressman I hold the Holy Bible as being the major directions to me of how I vote in Washington, D.C., and I'll continue to do that."

 

Very scarey

[The Dude]

Goddammit.

[Conga3]

Hmmm let's see...I'll jump in,

 

Education :

• The government subsidizing education manipulates the market decisions of individuals who must decide for themselves whether the costs (time+money) is outweighed by the increased future earnings (better education >> higher paying job).
  
  • Those who understand the above statement :
    
    • ...are skeptical when "solutions" are proposed to "improve" education by subsidizing it more
      

    [*]Those who don't understand the above statement :

    • ...would rather ignore the economics of the situation :
      
      • ...because it would require some sort of rationing as a means to make the system efficient enough to justify it.
        
      • ...because they don't use economics as a basis for critical thinking.
        

Evolution :

• Dinosaurs are awesome, I want one.
  
• Remember, "science" and "religion" have been working in the same direction since the get go. Seeking answers to the unknown.
  
  • Physics tells us some of the "truths" we seek are not in our observable universe, so the best they can ever offer are theories.
    
  • Religion says, "That's OK"
    

[knapplc]

Are those nested lists in your post? That's wicked.

[Foppa]

I am not against federally funded research. Just as an example, look at all the great things that have come out of the federally funded space program? But, when are we going to get serious about cutting our spending?

 

We can't spend the way we have been. And, raising taxes on the rich doesn't even come close to covering what we are spending?

 

That's all fine and dandy. Lets start with the defense budget.

 

Wait, what? Why would we do that? According to this chart, military spending isn't out of control at all:

 

 

That would be scary if the U.S. was, say, 16 trillion dollars in debt. But we're ok.

[BigRedBuster]

There is no reason why science and religion can not co-exist. I believe in both.

[carlfense]

There is no reason why science and religion can not co-exist. I believe in both.

Which prevails for you when they are at odds?

[BigRedBuster]

When science can show me how life is formed from a sterile rock and prove to me where the first mass of matter came from that exploded and formed the Universe, then I can start to question an intelligent higher power being involved. Until then, in my mind, there has to be a higher power involved.

 

I believe that science simply is uncovering the physical evidence of how all of this happened.

 

I believe that this entire issue is railroaded by people who take the bible literally for every single word that is in it. Even though I believe god exists and Christ is his son and that entire story, many of the other stories in the bible are put there as lessons to be learned, not necessarily for their every specific detail being exactly how it happened.

 

Also, you can believe in God but not in organized religion as it is practiced by Humans. Organized religion is a matter of humans taking the bible and doing what THEY believe is the right thing to do. That doesn't necessarily mean it IS the right thing to do.

 

Every person has choices. If you choose to not believe in any higher power, then that's your choice. If you choose to believe and follow say the Catholic Church's version of Christianity, that is your choice. If you choose to believe but also choose to not follow a human version of Christianity then that is your choice. I am not going to sit here and judge you and hopefully you don't judge me for my faith. When I start getting testy is when ANYONE from any of these groups starts acting like a jackass and acting like they know everything.

There have been people from the beginning of time that have taken Christianity and bastardized it for their own benefit no matter if that is for business purposes or political power or keeping control over another person.

 

The fact is, none of us know the entire truth.

 

Now, those same principles are true in my mind with other religions also. For instance, Muslims have their own version of these problems (0bviously). There are people who take that religion and bastardize it for their own goals. They use it to justify terrorism and many other horrible things. That doesn't mean the basis of the religion is violent or bad. It doesn't meant that if you walk down the street and meet a Muslim that he instantly wants to kill you if you are a Christian. I have known many Muslims who simply want to live in peace just like the rest of us.

 

So, to answer your question, it varies for me. I really haven't found anything to where I am pulled one way or the other as far as science or my faith. I grew up Protestant but now practice the Catholic faith. BUT, that doesn't mean I support every single thing the Catholic faith believes or does. 99.9% of all of that was made up by man.